


Fireflies and Starlight

by Ulan



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Rivendell | Imladris, Third Age
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 03:29:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11751138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ulan/pseuds/Ulan
Summary: It is Arwen's first century feast and she has pulled her favourite guardian to accompany her, treating Imladris to the rare of sight of a certain chief counsellor dressing up for the evening. One particular captain of the guard found himself surprised--and more.





	Fireflies and Starlight

**Author's Note:**

> My eternal thanks to RaisingCaiin for tagging me in a WIP challenge in Tumblr. I did not want to post from a chapter I would update soon anyway, so I looked for a story that I have not posted elsewhere yet. I found this piece, and I discovered that it was not just an excerpt but already a full story, more than halfway done! Aaaaahh, but I have a bad habit of forgetting story fragments and this is not the first time I am posting something that was started more than a year ago. This story, believe it or not, was timestamped December 22, 2015. Here it is finally complete. ^^;

Imladris had not seen a more extravagant an event as Arwen's first century feast. 

The feast was held in the gardens, the evening lit by scattered torches and what seemed like a thousand candles. Outside that circle, fireflies lit the trees surrounding them where a thin mist had already settled, giving the place an otherworldly glow. All around, Elves were dancing to the song of the minstrels, free in their enjoyment of the occasion as they celebrated the coming of age of their most beloved little lady. 

'Well,' thought one Elf who was seated apart from the rest. 'I suppose she is not so little anymore.'

Glorfindel smiled at the thought as he watched Arwen, who stood at a distance laughing at something someone said. While most feasts would see Glorfindel among the throng of Elves dancing, sometimes even singing among the minstrels, tonight he was of a different mind... or heart, as the case may be. 

He sighed, long and drawn out. 

"Oh, I know. These things can be such a bore, sometimes I do not even know why I go."

Glorfindel turned to the voice that spoke. He had to smile, for the tone of that voice was one of mild affront. 

"Do not be offended, friend Lindir," he said to the Elf now sitting with him on the table. He had not even noticed the other slip in. "'Tis a lovely party and the songs are wonderful."

"Quite right they are wonderful. We have been practicing them for ages!" Lindir peered intently at Glorfindel. "It is rare to see you so tame and seated on such an occasion, especially since it is indeed a wonderful night. Imladris has never seen one more festive and wonderful, and I dare say it has even surpassed the feast we held in honour of the Lords Elladan and Elrohir. Pray, is something the matter?"

Upon being asked this, Glorfindel sighed again. He could not keep his eyes from straying to one particular spot in the garden. Lindir, ever curious and inquisitive, followed that gaze and groaned upon seeing what his friend was looking at--or rather, _who_. 

"Oh, merciful Nienna," lamented the minstrel. 

It was indeed an unusual night, for there standing beside the radiant Lady Arwen was Elrond's chief counsellor and the lady's favourite, Master Erestor. Yet it was Erestor in a way they have not seen in much too long a time--too long, in fact, that perhaps half of the night's attendees likely had not even seen it in their entire lives. 

Erestor in Imladris had always been modest in the way he dressed, opting for layered robes appropriate for his station, dark or earth-coloured depending on the season. Sometimes, Celebrían could convince him to weave flowers in his hair, but such a small thing would already mark the height of the counsellor's vanities. 

This was exactly why tonight came as such a surprise to many, especially to one particular captain of the guard. Ever had Erestor been in Arwen's favour, and so it came as no shock to them that the lady chose the chief counsellor as her partner for that evening. The surprise--although perhaps it really should not have been one--was _how_ the counsellor honoured young Arwen with a companion befitting of the occasion. 

Beside Arwen in her midnight blue gown was a prince in blue-greys and silvers, his robes form-fitting and made of materials the old Erestor would have found too extravagant to be in any way practical. Surely, it was Arwen and her mother's handiwork--the robes, the circlet around his head and the intricate styling of hair, the rings in those long fingers, that clear face. Glorfindel could not tell if it was merely the effect of such an attire or whether some other sorcery was at work, but what harshness they were more accustomed to in Erestor was nowhere in sight that night. What was left was this Elf who doted upon Arwen and whose calm presence made her more beautiful, their light together shining ever brighter as they glided across the grounds. Judging by the radiant smile on the young lady's face and the loving way with which she clung to Erestor's arm, the counsellor's effort was very well appreciated.

Erestor and Arwen have always had a quiet understanding between them. As surely as Elladan and Elrohir had taken to Glorfindel and followed him around with their toy swords and boisterous play, so had meek little Arwen gravitated towards her father's more quiet senior adviser. She would often sit in Erestor's office and spend that time quietly on her own just reading or playing, not demanding Erestor's attention, but merely taking comfort in his company and hiding in that place that could become like a sanctuary to one who felt weary of the noises of lively Imladris. 

This, Glorfindel could understand, for he himself often found solace in the peaceful warmth of Erestor's corner of the Homely House. He discovered it when he once chanced upon Lady Celebrían looking for her daughter. Glorfindel had offered to help, and after a while of searching, he found their little lady tucked comfortably on one of Erestor's window sills. The counsellor himself was nowhere to be found, but Arwen had looked so at peace there in the warm sunlight, a picture book on her lap, that Glorfindel found himself joining her in that little nook. 

Celebrían and Erestor found them some time later. Glorfindel was sufficiently contrite and endured Celebrian's amused berating, for he had, of course, forgotten to report to his lady. After Celebrían reclaimed her daughter, Glorfindel had turned to an equally amused chief counsellor, who told Glorfindel about Arwen's growing tendency to hide away in his office. 

"It is indeed a nice place you have here," Glorfindel had said. He ventured a smile, warm but careful, for at the time he and Erestor were not yet that close. "It is warm and quiet, with only but the sound of birds and the river playing like music in the background." 

Erestor had returned the smile, and Glorfindel thought he perhaps appreciated the compliment. "You are equally welcome here whenever you wish," the counsellor had then offered. "Those window seats were not solely made for children, though I have not had much time for reading of late."

Glorfindel could not quite say what it was that made him take the other up on his offer, which truthfully could also just be a token offer to be polite. But after that day, Glorfindel, like Arwen, could also be found sitting for hours in Erestor's office. He somehow even got to working there. For one, he infinitely preferred working across Erestor on his large desk instead of his stifling office at the barracks. If anyone asked, he would say that it was easier and more practical to work with Erestor since he could ask for the other's opinion and occasional approval on areas where their work overlapped.

The truth, however, was that Glorfindel soon realised that he could sit longer in the quiet when Erestor was around, and sitting across him that way allowed him to watch the chief counsellor when the mood struck (which soon became often) and admire the elegant way with which the other worked. Erestor's side of the desk was always neat, nothing there that he did not need. Glorfindel also favoured watching him as he writes, his lines always precise and straight from where Glorfindel was sitting and from the times when he himself was the recipient of such documents. It also amused him that Erestor's quill was never still. Even when there were lulls and the counsellor would sit back on his high-back chair, eyes distant in thought, he would roll his quill on the tips of his thumb and forefinger, seemingly unconscious of the habit, and Glorfindel would just admire how those pale fingers, dexterous and sure, looked against the black of Erestor's quill. 

Eventually, too, he noticed Erestor's habit of staring down at a parchment he was writing or reading and running the tip of his quill slowly across his lips. It was another unconscious gesture, but one that made Glorfindel bite down his own lip and get back to work, though by then he was already thoroughly distracted. 

"Erestor looks nice tonight."

Pulled back from his straying thoughts, Glorfindel turned back to his table mate. He had forgotten Lindir was there. 

"I mean," Lindir continued when Glorfindel did not respond, "he has certainly outdone himself this time. We have not seen him like this since he was a high counsellor at the courts in Lindon. It is nice to see again, don't you think, Glorfindel?" 

Glorfindel grumbled. "You know very well I did not know him in Lindon." 

Lindir widened his eyes in feigned surprise. "Did you not, now? Why, yes, of course! Then it must be the first time you have seen him like this, in that case." Once again, the minstrel leaned close to Glorfindel, as he whispered conspiratorially. "This must be killing you." 

Glorfindel promptly pushed Lindir away, which had the other laughing. Lindir was quick to recognise Glorfindel's interest in the chief counsellor, probably even before Glorfindel knew of it himself. An artist's intuition, the minstrel had claimed when he first approached Glorfindel about it with the sensitivity and tact of a notorious gossip. He took delight in taking every opportunity to tease Glorfindel ever since.

"Will you not ask him to dance?" asked Lindir.

Glorfindel stared at him. "Have you lost your mind? Who asks the escort to a lady's first century feast for a dance?" 

Lindir rolled his eyes and hit Glorfindel's shoulder with a rolled up parchment the other had not even noticed he was holding. "Don't be obtuse, Glorfindel. I meant afterwards, of course. Erestor will be her partner for until half the night, I would say, after which he shall step aside so others may approach the Lady Arwen." 

Glorfindel nervously cleared his throat at the suggestion. "No, I--" He took a deep breath. "No. Probably not."

"Come now, Glorfindel! Why ever not?" 

Glorfindel and Erestor had somehow forged a friendship over the years since the day the counsellor offered the solace of his office, and so they had actually danced once or twice before. The chief counsellor was not particularly fond of dancing however and had only been dragged by Glorfindel on special occasions, and always during festivals where the dances were loud and playful. Erestor had always protested, but also always proved himself to be a pleasant dance partner that Glorfindel had not cared no matter how hard the other complained. 

Glorfindel, however, never had the courage to ask Erestor for slow dances. He was not about to do so tonight, either, with Erestor looking the way he did. What dangers doing so would put him in, he could not even begin to imagine.

As though gleaning the other's thoughts, Lindir sighed again and moved to stand. "I am playing my new set at the end of the evening. You will like it. I implore you: ask Erestor--ask _anyone_ \--for a dance and spare us your pathetic pining. At this rate, you will inspire a new song by the end of the night, and I do not care for sad songs right now."

Glorfindel gave Lindir a rueful smile. "A new song, really? Is that how you threaten people, by making songs everyone would enjoy? With those tactics, thank the Valar you are in the arts and not in politics."

Lindir stuck his tongue out at Glorfindel before he left. 

Thus left to his own devices once again, the captain resumed his earlier study. He did not exactly know when it happened, and perhaps before this night he might have still been trying to keep himself from admitting it, but now it just seemed as though so many things he thought beautiful in another, he saw in Erestor. Glorfindel had to admit it, moreso now as he watched the other move across the grounds, that he might have been harbouring an infatuation that grew with each passing season. What might have begun with chance meetings and peaceful corners in an otherwise noisy valley eventually grew to a friendship that was every bit a comfort to him now as that office so graced with sunlight and birdsong. 

The evening's surprise--Erestor looking the way he did--was therefore the last thing Glorfindel needed.

*

"I have forgotten how tiring these things can be." 

Glorfindel started when he heard that voice speak behind him. The night had thus far passed with him barely leaving his seat. A few others joined him from time to time, and he did stand to mingle maybe once or twice, but for the most part he had kept his peace. He was content to remain in the shadows, for he found his eyes were still straying where it should not, and so he attempted to empty his head of thoughts that could betray a good friendship, instead hoping to fill it with wine. 

He was just turning his head toward that voice when Erestor came into view. He crossed to Glorfindel's other side and took the seat beside him, smoothly taking the captain's wine flute as he passed, half-filled with his seventh (or was it tenth?) refill. This he placed over on his other side, far from Glorfindel. 

"You have had quite a few already, don't you think?" asked Erestor with a pointed stare. "I cannot wait to hear your excuse, keeping to the sidelines and finishing off the wine."

"It is a party and the wine just keeps flowing," Glorfindel quipped back, though he found his heart was not in their usual banter tonight. This close, he could make out a subtle scent coming off from Erestor, a different fragrant oil rubbed on his hair perhaps, which of course was doing things to Glorfindel's already addled head. 

"It is meant for all guests, not just our drunkard captain of the guard." There was a small grin on Erestor's lips before he turned his eyes again on his charge over at the dance floor. "Our little lady has certainly grown into a lovely princess, has she not? You better not let Arwen see you sulking."

On the dance floor, Arwen was with her doting father, who was spinning her with practised grace. They seemed to be enjoying their time together, affording Erestor a moment's respite from his duties that evening. 

"These things are always bittersweet for me," the counsellor continued to say. "She used to be so small." 

Speaking of their young charge, at least, was safe territory. Glorfindel followed Erestor's gaze and found it in himself to smile, for he was quite fond of Arwen. A sudden picture of her as a child and tailing Erestor came to his mind unbidden, helping to ease his nerves and replacing it with amusement. "She stood barely above your knee when she started following you around," reminisced the captain. 

Erestor's chuckle lightened the air around them. "It was a silly thing, really. I never understood how it was that she seemed so fond of me."

So many things passed through Glorfindel's mind in that moment--mostly variations of how he perfectly understood how young Arwen must have felt all those years ago--but he kept his mouth shut.

Oblivious to his companion's inner struggle, Erestor continued speaking. "But I will always be grateful. She is a sweet girl, our Arwen. For one so young, already she has turned out beautiful and wise." There was a softness in his eyes as he looked at the lady on the floor, a mix of affection and pride. 

Glorfindel watched him and sighed, also fond, but due to an entirely different reason. "She had a good teacher," he said. 

Erestor turned to him, and his gaze was warm with understanding and gratitude as he seemed to recognise the compliment. 

They sat side by side for a while, watching as father relinquished his hold on his daughter's hand, only for the said hand to be taken by Arwen's brother, Elladan. Glorfindel's eyes still sometimes strayed to the dark haired Elf beside him, still somewhat surprised at the changes and fully conscious of the pathetic thrill he was feeling sitting so closely with the other. It was embarrassing, really, and he thought it all and himself so juvenile, for it was not as if he and Erestor did not often sit together on most days. Not to mention, the whole "commoner by day, prince by night" transformation--not that Erestor's looks was in any way plain or common, Glorfindel's traitorous mind supplied--was such a clichè; Erestor would laugh at him if he knew.

Over on the dance floor, Elrohir had stepped in in the middle of a song and smoothly caught his laughing sister as she finished a spin. Elladan, smiling widely, had graciously bowed and stepped away to let Elrohir finish the song. 

The two guardians watched the scene for a while. After Elrohir, it was a young ellon not far from Arwen's age who requested her next dance. 

"We will be fending off suitors soon, I expect," said Glorfindel. 

Erestor leaned back on his seat, eyes never leaving his charge. "Hmm, and would soon break my heart if I am not careful." 

Glorfindel turned to him. That Arwen loved Erestor exactly as a young lady would love a much favoured senior and mentor was no secret. Over the years, her eyes tended to light up whenever Erestor entered the room and she would immediately demand his attention. She would laugh easily at the things he said and blush prettily whenever he complimented her or placed a flower he had kept on his sash on her hair. 

Once, when Arwen was a little younger than ten years, one of Celebrían's ladies, who had just arrived from the Golden Wood, showed interest in Erestor and would sit beside him during meal times. What followed was an amusing tug of war between the lady and little Arwen, who began with small things like demanding to sit on Erestor's lap during meals and walking with him down the halls. The day came, however, when the Lórien lady still did not relent and Arwen had had enough, so she cried and yelled at the poor lady to go away, insisting that her case was hopeless, for she was not the one Erestor liked. 

Needless to say, Celebrían had been appropriately apologetic and although they did not see, they all knew she had a long discussion with her daughter after that. The next day, however, unknown to any but the two of them, Glorfindel, who had been growing worried about the excited way people talked about Erestor and the Lórien maid, met Arwen by chance on his way to Erestor's office. He did not know what it was that made him do so, but at the time, something in him made him lift the little lady in his arms, kiss her cheek and tell her she was a lovely girl. Arwen did not ask what he meant and Glorfindel did not explain, but all the same, she returned the hug and allowed her golden friend to carry her on their way to Erestor's place. And Erestor, upon seeing them standing at his doorway, as he did every day that he saw them thus, had smiled warmly at them in welcome.

So, no. Arwen had a young love sort of regard for her favourite tutor, but Glorfindel never worried about her. She was his ally, of a sort, and anyway, Erestor had always regarded their young lady as a precious charge--to cherish, protect, and dote upon as any father. 

Tonight, however, under the moonlight and the candles, with Arwen having grown into a beauty that many were beginning to say rivaled that of fair Lúthien herself, Glorfindel felt that old prickle of fear. He wondered if he might have a cause for worry after all.

A gentle touch on his arm pulled him from his thoughts, and he turned to find Erestor looking at him with a knowing smile on his face. "That is not what I meant, Glorfindel," he said, amusement clear in his voice. He shook his head. "Never little Arwen. She is much too precious."

"I did not say anything," Glorfindel, of course, denied, but this only made Erestor laugh. 

"No, but I can see it on your face." The counsellor shook his head. "How could you even think it? Would you ever consider the idea yourself?"

"Arwen? No, of course not!" 

Erestor looked at him pointedly. "You see? That is what I mean. No, it would be neither of us. Knowing Arwen, likely it would be someone completely unexpected."

Appeased, Glorfindel merely nodded, though admittedly his heart was lighter. He barely stopped himself from shaking his head for the foolish way his thoughts were turning. 

"You have been uncharacteristically quiet this evening," he heard Erestor say again. "Truly, it is growing worrisome. Is something on your mind?"

Glorfindel cleared his throat, uneasy about being called out so many times in a single evening, and by Erestor himself, no less. Then again, the other had always been eerily observant. "I'm all right, really," he told him. "Just a little tired from earlier today." 

"Long patrol?" 

"Something like that." 

Glorfindel shrugged with a smile. It was not too far from the truth, since they did return later than they had anticipated. Much of his current mood was not about that, however, but the truth of his distraction was hardly something he could tell Erestor. 

"Ah, then, I am sorry to hear that," said the counsellor. "For what it is worth, you still cleaned up nicely despite all your trouble." 

As though Glorfindel did not have it bad enough, Erestor reached out to swipe a thumb at the point on the other's temple where his braids began, and Glorfindel had to suppress a shiver as the back of those folded fingertips grazed his ear. Erestor leaned in as if to inspect the braid before sliding his fingers down to the tail end of it, his eyes drifting down to follow the movement. "I envy how you do this so neatly. I have seen how fast you do them and yet they come out perfect every time."

Glorfindel felt the heat of his own face, and his only hope was that the flush was not so bad that Erestor would notice. Erestor's hands tended to stray, as though what touch he kept from most people, he saved for those he was close with. But any sort of friendly or affectionate touching was truly not what Glorfindel needed at that moment; he even had to clear his throat in order to speak. 

"Try doing it over the years before the Sun has risen and you will be good at it, too," he managed to say. He breathed slowly, just barely keeping his voice from shaking--or keeping himself from reaching out to take that pale wrist and _pulling_. Erestor was entirely too close. 

To his relief, Erestor leaned back on his chair again. "Will you at least dance with Arwen before the night ends?" 

Glorfindel feigned a sigh, although he just about jumped at the idea of an escape. A little more of this and he would end up dragging Arwen's escort under the table. 

(The very idea deepened the flush he felt himself sporting.) 

"I suppose I could do so now."

Erestor laughed. "Look a bit more excited, Captain."

Glorfindel willed himself to smile and not jump up as he moved to stand. "You take this job quite seriously, don't you?" 

"Oh, definitely." Erestor nodded towards the dance floor. "Go on, the song is about to end."

*

Approaching Arwen was perhaps the first restful thing Glorfindel did that evening. He had always held such fondness for the sweet girl.

"My Captain! I have been waiting for you. What took you so long?" 

Despite the surprises of the evening, Glorfindel could not help but smile at the warm greeting when he finally reached their radiant young lady. He took Arwen's hand and kissed it. "Apologies, my lady. I was waylaid by some silly thing, but I am here now, and would be glad if you could honour me with one dance."

"Dear Glorfindel," said Arwen, returning a fond smile. "You may have as many dances as you wish. You could even dance with me all night!" 

The captain laughed and pulled them to position as the music began. The young lady of the valley promptly leaned her dark head against Glorfindel's broad chest, dwarfed by his height, although she hardly seemed bothered by this. In fact, to one watching them, she would seem perfectly content where she was. 

"How are you this good eve, my lord?" she asked Glorfindel, who looked down at her with much affection. 

"Do you ask as a means to begin pleasantries, my dear, or would you like an honest answer?"

Arwen's eyes sparkled as she smiled. "An honest answer, always from you."

At this, Glorfindel sighed, and he leaned over to bestow a kiss on the crown of Arwen's head. The gesture was more a comfort for himself than anything else, for given the events of the evening, he found he needed someone to whom he could confide. "I find," he whispered against his charge's dark hair, "that this evening, far worse than ever I have experienced on other evenings before this... I am drowning in love." 

At the confession, Arwen pulled back to meet blue eyes shining in the firelight. In her gaze was deep sympathy, but her rose lips were smiling, and the hand that rested on Glorfindel's shoulder moved to touch his cheek. "Oh Glorfindel," she said with a sigh. "Indeed, I have seen your eyes on him all evening. You are becoming obvious, dear one."

Glorfindel echoed her sigh and gently pulled Arwen to rest against his chest again, both to avoid her knowing gaze and also to take the comfort that she freely offered. 

It was never said between them, but of course she knew. Glorfindel's friendship with Arwen was one forged out of a shared love for someone important to them both. She, out of everyone in Imladris, most often saw him with Erestor, so she must have seen how Glorfindel began to look at him, noticed how the captain intently listened whenever Erestor spoke, and how helpless he soon became to all requests made by the chief counsellor, unable to refuse the other anything. But for all her childish tantrums and jealousy when others looked at Erestor, Arwen never did do the same with Glorfindel. She always smiled at him whenever he entered Erestor's office and she was already there, and even as a child she would share with him her books and her things, and would let him sit with her if he so wished. As she grew up, she would hold both her guardians' hands in greeting when she saw them across the hall, and all stories she had for Erestor she shared also with Glorfindel whenever he was around.

It was because of those things that, over the years, Glorfindel could not help but love her, too--a woman after his own heart, his kindred spirit. 

At last, he spoke, eyes staring unseeing at the lights of a hundred fireflies as whispered to her his secrets, things they both knew but never talked about. "Ever have I always looked at him and found him beautiful, but tonight, there are no words. He took my breath away. I sat myself at a table away from the crowd to find what little peace can be had from the storm in my heart." 

Arwen giggled. "And yet he found you, I saw."

Glorfindel smiled. "Aye. And he was ever as kind and as thoughtful as he has always been. He asked if there was something on my mind, but of course I could not tell him." 

Another giggle. "No, of course not." 

"'Tis torture," sighed Glorfindel. "Sweet torture, yes, but torture all the same. Guard your heart well, my lady, for it is fragile and precious and utterly vulnerable when in the throes of love."

"I cannot wait to know it though, for it sounds exciting!" Arwen outright laughed as Glorfindel shook his head in exasperation. She leaned on his shoulder again. "By the way, I hope you are not upset with me for borrowing him for myself tonight. I promise to return him to you as soon as the feast is over."

"Not at all, my lady. After all, he is not mine for you to borrow, and I am hardly the home to whom he returns." Oh, but what he would not give to make it so! And especially on this night, his heart ached with the desire to have such precious beauty in his rooms, for Erestor to find his way to Glorfindel after so many have admired him and undoubtedly coveted him for themselves. Glorfindel wanted it so much that it hurt to even think about it, his chest tight with an old and familiar longing, albeit one he never felt as strongly as he did that night.

"Oh, Glorfindel." Arwen touched his cheek again and her grey eyes were earnest. "You foolish thing, how very wrong you are. How can you not see? Erestor is yours if you would just claim him."

It was Glorfindel's turn to pull away as he shook his head. "Nay, my lady. We are but friends. It never seemed to me as if he looks upon me as anything more than that."

Arwen huffed her disapproval. "Silly Elf. You tell me to guard my heart, but I may not see the wisdom in that seeing how closely you guard yours so much that it blinds you. Do you know of any other who spends as much time with Erestor as you or me?"

Glorfindel sighed, but did shake his head in response. 

"Know you of any other he speaks with more than you? Did he leave my side tonight for any other but you?"

Again, Glorfindel shook his head, but in his mind there was looming doubt still. 

"You will see," insisted Arwen. "Before the evening ends he will return to you, whether I tell him so or not. It is why I call it 'borrowing'. I have always been the one to tail after Erestor. You, on the other hand, he follows with his eyes, although perhaps he would even follow you with the rest of him if only you would stop approaching him first." The lady grinned. "Have you thought to try?"

Glorfindel stared at her, perplexed. "Try what, exactly?" 

"To see how quickly he would approach you, if you kept to yourself. You know, like a test."

The captain was utterly confused. "Nay, why would I?" 

"Glorfindel, you silly thing. You actually think it is without hope? Why do we not have a wager, hmm?" Arwen grinned up at him, and there was a sudden sparkle in her eyes as her voice lowered conspiratorially. "Leave. Right now. Hide somewhere and I tell you, within the hour Erestor will find you."

"Do not be silly, Arwen," said Glorfindel with a bemused smile, thinking it all ridiculous. "The night is young yet. He will not leave you."

"Nay, not so young, really. Erestor shall have time for himself soon, for already I am dancing with others, and I do not mind leaving with Ada and my brothers." The young lady peered up at Glorfindel's face. "Are you not curious at all? Oh, but we should, of course, discuss our terms." 

Glorfindel sighed. "Arwen, no." 

"Aiya, where is my brave captain? Now, if I am wrong--which you shall see I am not--then... then I shall wear Ada's clothes and hairstyle for a month." 

This, at least, had Glorfindel laughing. "Granted, I would be glad to see that--not only for you, but for your father's reaction as well."

" _And_ if I am right, then it is only fair you give the fellow his due, isn't it?" Arwen's smile is one of mischief. "If he comes to you, then you must reward him with a kiss." 

"Ah." The captain paused. "That settles it. No."

"You can tell him it is for a wager with me!" 

"That you even call it a reward!" Glorfindel could laugh at the idea. "He will only be angry with us both."

"Erestor never grows angry with us," counters Arwen confidently. "Tell him it is my wish on this day." 

"Is it?" asked the captain, amused. "Your wish, I mean."

"Oh, my dearest friend..." Arwen said softly, her voice now growing more quiet and tinged with much affection. "I wish it for you every day." 

Glorfindel ducked his head and took a moment, just leading them in their mellow dance. He always thought that Arwen was a perceptive girl--most quiet ones were--and how ever much he denied it, the young lady's words did spark in him some hope. 

"I have always thought you liked Erestor for yourself," he could not help but tease her.

Arwen smiled. "It was like that, at first." 

"What made you change your mind?"

"Oh, you know." The lady shrugged. "Erestor just liked my rival more."

Glorfindel frowned, confused. "What rival?"

"He is a dense sort of Elf, my rival in love, but I unfortunately still found myself growing fond of him, too." Arwen giggled, wrapped her arms around Glorfindel's neck, and hugged him tight. "So are you going to play this wager with me or not? Do not make me make it an order, Captain!" 

"You are so silly sometimes, really." Glorfindel could not help but laugh. Flushed either from the dance or from the pathetic hope he felt fluttering inside his chest, he ventured to ask, "Does he even... I mean, are you sure?" 

"Oh, Glorfindel." Arwen, laughing, dragged Glorfindel to the edge of the crowd and proceeded to push him towards the direction of the main house. "Now who is being silly? Yes, I am sure. Go on, now! With your heart elsewhere, it is in no condition for my party anyway." There was no sign of offense on the lady's face as she smiled warmly at her dearest friend. She even gave him a little wink. "Find some place to sit this one out; I forgive you completely. I promise, too, that your keeper shall find you soon enough."

*

Glorfindel, of course, entertained many things in his mind as he walked back towards the main house. Arwen was young and was thus prone to many fancies, but he supposed that the lady was right about him not being in any condition to be in a crowd making merry. He was glad for the excuse, and just thought to himself to thank her some other way. (He probably also owed Lindir an apology for missing the rest of their new songs, but anyway, love songs that evening would only be torture.) 

It would be nice, however, were it all to be true. Glorfindel did not have a mate in his old life, and although the Valar told him that he was to be granted a new life in Middle-Earth and that his existence there would not solely be about the enactment of his duties, to look for love was not at the forefront of Glorfindel's mind. That was perhaps why all this happened so slowly, why his regard for Erestor developed only later though they had long been acquainted. It took Glorfindel finding that moment of respite, the discovery of Erestor's office and Erestor's invitation for him to come into that space, to see what the other could be to him, and for Glorfindel to realise that he wanted what it promised. 

It was not too much of a surprise for Glorfindel to eventually find himself in Erestor's office. It had already become his favourite place, and even in the evening with just starlight lighting the room through the windows, it brought him such comfort. In later years, it was perhaps more its owner's presence that heightened that effect, for even now Erestor's lingering presence in that place had Glorfindel breathing deeply, soothed by the familiarity and so many years of memories. 

Erestor had turned every window sill in his office into a possible sitting or reading nook. There, over at the far end of the room, was Arwen's favourite seat, for it was closest to the bookshelves and had the best view of the trees outside. Glorfindel, on the other hand, preferred the seat closest to Erestor's desk. He used to tell the other that it was because it was the one best lit by the Sun, though on hindsight, he was not anymore so sure that it was solely that. Truly, Glorfindel had to shake his head at his own folly. 

He picked that place now to sit, that window near Erestor's desk. He looked out the glass, watched the faint lights of stars and fireflies that still graced the valley on this special night. He waited for his heart to settle. 

"I thought you might be here."

For the second time that evening, Glorfindel turned to the sound of that voice. What ever hope he had of calming down, it was squashed down by the fact that Erestor now stood near the doorway of his office, his face appearing warm and golden from the fire of a nearby sconce he probably lit on his way in.

"You left early," said the chief counsellor who, against all of Glorfindel's doubts, actually, _miraculously_ stood there just as Arwen said. 

It therefore took a while before Glorfindel could speak. "What are you doing here?"

A dark eyebrow rose at the question. "This is my office, if I may remind you. I should be the one asking you what you are doing _here_ , especially after I have just asked you to entertain Arwen."

Glorfindel at least had the grace to look contrite. "Believe it or not, I have the lady's leave to be out here."

Both eyebrows rose at that, before Erestor sighed as though defeated. "The secret to peace, I find, is to leave you two to whatever it is you get up to when left by yourselves."

This at least made Glorfindel smile. "Why? Because you know we talk about you?" 

Erestor's face scrunched further at the remark. "I try not to think about that, but I suppose I should not be surprised, seeing as I tend to be your unfortunate third wheel. How I ended up with the both of you under my care, I no longer even know."

Glorfindel's lips twitched further in amusement given Erestor's mock complaint. He was hardly the third wheel, but the alternatives Glorfindel ended up thinking about--their common denominator, a shared object of affection--kept his mouth shut.

If Erestor was bothered by Glorfindel's silence, he did not show it. Then again, it was not as if they were strangers to the quiet, for if anything that was what brought them together in the first place. It therefore came as no shock that Erestor approached Glorfindel where he was and sat beside him. 

(It came as no shock that he did so, but Glorfindel's heart did skip a beat at the sudden proximity, so... perhaps there was some shock of a different sort involved.)

They sat together for some time. In that lingering quiet, Glorfindel wondered if Erestor sensed at all how nervous the captain felt. But when he looked, all he saw in Erestor was the calmness of one waiting. He noted, too, once again, the clear expression on Erestor's face, the handsome set of his features, the subtle light of his grace. Glorfindel then realised that much about these rooms were a reflection of who Erestor was. Its peace, its steady calm, the way it kept so much of the noises of the world out so that it could care for its precious charges within--it was all very much like Erestor himself, who was not the friendliest of Elves by any stretch, but who cared for a little girl who sought him for affection, and surprisingly welcomed Glorfindel so easily at a time when the captain himself still felt adrift.

"Why did you invite me here, all those years ago?" he suddenly heard himself asking. "Were you just being polite? But then, it is not an offer you extended to others, is it?" 

Erestor did not look at him immediately, for his eyes first went to the ground. "It was out of form, yes," he said slowly, his tone thoughtful. "I just thought... that day, you looked like you wanted to stay." He did eventually turn to Glorfindel. "And you did stay, and came often afterwards, just as I said you could. I did not think you would. So why did you?" 

It was Glorfindel's turn to look away, his eyes also drifting to the floor. "I just tend to find myself here, especially when I am seeking rest. And every time it was rewarding." 

At first it was rewarding because it was a nice place, and because after for so long and after the last war, Glorfindel was perhaps waiting to be convinced that they were finally at a time of a long peace. Perhaps it should have come when Elrond's twins were born, and it was that for all of them to a certain extent, but maybe Glorfindel was also waiting for it to come to him in a more personal way. Perhaps he, too, wished to finally settle down, although the realisation was a long time coming, for long had his previous life had been with him alone. For a good part of his second life, with old kings and kingdoms at war, things even felt much the same, so that when it later became that the most rewarding thing was already another person's presence, it was alien enough for Glorfindel not to know what to do.

"Then, continue to do so," said Erestor, pulling the other from his thoughts. "You are always welcome here anyway. I would even offer you a drink, but you have had plenty, and I would rather not be the one dragging your sorry behind to bed."

Glorfindel laughed. "Not the first time you would do so." 

"Not really, no," said the counsellor with an answering grin, "which is how I know it is no fun. If I were to drag an Elf to bed, I would rather it not be literal, and not with them inebriated beyond reason."

It was a harmless joke, albeit one Erestor was not prone to making, but Glorfindel found he was quick to respond to it. His mind jumped at the idea of being _with_ Erestor in bed, what it would be like to peel the layers of silver that hugged him that night in ways Glorfindel would give anything to do the same with his arms. If his head was clearer, less seduced by the dim lights of the evening and the perfume on Erestor's hair, he would probably think twice about speaking the way he did, but the idea was out of his mouth before he could think to rein it.

"Erestor, would you... I mean, there is something I need to do with you."

If Erestor was bothered by the sudden shift, he did not show it. "What is it?" he asked. 

Arwen's wager was suddenly at the forefront of Glorfindel's mind, although perhaps that was just an excuse. But just as soon as it threatened to come out, Glorfindel hesitated just as fast.

Erestor, of course, caught it immediately. "Come now. What were you going to say?" He stared at Glorfindel for a moment, and then said, "It is Arwen's doing, isn't it? Is it embarrassing?"

Well, of course he would recognise it. Erestor knew their little lady well. "Quite embarrassing," Glorfindel admitted.

"Now I am intrigued."

"Intrigued is good. Better that than angry."

Erestor's head tilted slightly. "I hardly doubt it would make me angry, but now maybe I am a bit worried."

"No, please," sighed Glorfindel. "I can worry enough for the both of us."

"You do realise that that is no comfort whatsoever." Erestor shook his head, but he looked amused as he stared Glorfindel down. "Out with it."

"Let me begin by saying that I had a wager with Arwen," began Glorfindel, one hand lifted in defense, but it weakly went down soon enough, as he continued to say, "And let me finish by saying that, to cut things short, she won and now I have to kiss you." 

Erestor's only reaction was to blink. Glorfindel was quick to add, "I did not wish to join her, but she even leveraged it on this being her day. She was quite insistent on it." And again, after another moment of silence, "You do not have to agree. I will not do it if you are against it."

"Kissing me... is penalty? Like a punishment?"

"No! No, I... did not think of it like that." So this was what they meant, thought Glorfindel, to wish for the ground to swallow one into its depths. He shifted in his seat to face Erestor better, and sought to appease him. "No, I do not think that is the idea behind it."

"What is it, then?" asked the counsellor, his face nerve-wrackingly neutral. 

Glorfindel was silent. Any answer to that question could only reveal things he was not sure he was ready to be revealed. But then, perhaps he should have thought of that before opening his mouth, for he was not sure he liked the guarded look Erestor was sporting.

The counsellor sighed. "You know," he said, not meeting Glorfindel's eyes, "things like this... I do not think you are meant to give notice. I believe you just do them." 

Glorfindel frowned. "Is that not rude?"

That, at least, had Erestor huffing out a laugh. "Says the one who agreed to a wager with a kiss as penalty."

Said like that, Glorfindel could not help but feel thoroughly embarrassed, not to mention seriously worried now that Erestor truly was offended. He wished he could take it all back. "I am sorry. I should not have agreed."

Erestor, however, shook his head. "No, go on. Arwen would know if you did not do it."

"But..." protested Glorfindel, still worried. "Do you not mind?"

"I am being used as penalty for a wager." To Glorfindel's dismay, Erestor's smile looked slightly self-deprecating. "I'll get over it."

"I am telling you, it is not like that."

How Glorfindel could even begin to describe how this is so far from being a penalty, he did not know. He did not even know what more to say. But when he leaned in and found Erestor turned to him and waiting, when the other seemed to give him permission to touch, and when their lips finally brushed together in a light touch, Erestor's breath sweet against his lips and the scent of him intoxicating--Glorfindel could not help but think that if penalties were like this, then happily he would spend the rest of his life losing wagers.

Erestor kept still, just allowed himself to be kissed. He even closed his eyes, which had another bout of longing coursing through Glorfindel. What would it be like, he wondered, to have Erestor like this for each time Glorfindel thought to kiss him? There had been so many times, in this very room, when he thought to do so, or at least daydream about what it could be like to have Erestor in his arms, a lover instead of just a friend, albeit one trusted and regarded above all others. He wondered what it would feel like to touch that black, silken hair, to feel the warmth and the pulse that beat under the smooth skin of Erestor's wrists, slender and strong and which Glorfindel yearned so much to hold. 

He pulled away after a kiss that felt all too brief and all too light. 

Erestor's eyes remained closed for a beat more or two. When they did open, it seemed to happen so terribly, beautifully slowly, and his eyes were a brilliant green when they gazed up at Glorfindel. "Done?" he asked. 

Glorfindel's answer to him was not one he could make with words. He gave no warning this time before leaning down, kissing those lips again, and firmer this time around. No, he was not done, for how could he be after so brief a taste, when that light touch showed him just how much he wanted this?

Glorfindel bent lower to deepen that kiss, his heartbeat thundering in his chest as he half-consciously coaxed that sweet mouth open, daring to dart his tongue and lick just a little bit inside and taste more. The muffled whimper that escaped Erestor was music more beautiful than any they heard that night, and Glorfindel felt it down to his toes when Erestor finally came up to meet him. His tongue was warm and slick as it brushed against Glorfindel's, the sound of his inhale real and promising as he seemed amenable enough to return the kiss. He even nipped at Glorfindel's lips, pulling out an answering gasp from the other. Arms wrapped around Glorfindel's neck, and all of it just worked to seduce him completely. 

Glorfindel leaned over, pushed Erestor back against the window glass, holding him finally by the back of his neck to angle him better for a deeper kiss. Erestor moaned fully then, trapped between the cold glass and the hard body of a most trusted friend, though this between them was so far from what friends did with one another. But such things were the last in Glorfindel's mind as the kisses continued, barely allowing breaths in between, nips and bites here and there betraying the barely contained desire that was quickly being revealed. There were fingers buried in Glorfindel's hair and it was a while before he found it in himself to move away. Even then, something in him, that part long denied, was screaming at him not to end this. 

Erestor was panting by the time they parted long enough to allow it, and the way he looked up at Glorfindel with his eyes dazed but bright, the way his lips look abused and red from Glorfindel's little bites, were things Glorfindel immediately filed away to memory--just in case, he thought painfully to himself, just in case there would not be another time like this again.

"Do you take all kissing penalties like this?" Erestor asked, still slightly breathless. "Because I may as well warn you: this way, you risk yourself being misunderstood." 

Valar, he was beautiful like this, with starlight shining against the silver on his circlet and his robes, lighting his flushed face. It made Glorfindel want so badly to kiss him again.

"What misunderstanding do you mean?" he asked in turn, his fingers brushing Erestor's cheek. Soon, even before the other could speak, Glorfindel reached the limit of his control and found himself kissing the other again. It was as though floodgates were opened and he found he could not stop, not when Erestor's mouth proved to taste as sweet as he imagined, and with Erestor's fingers curling on his shoulder and hair, clawing in that tell-tale sign of pleasure, and oh, how rewarding it all felt. 

It was Erestor who pulled away this time. "Please," gasped the counsellor amidst Glorfindel's attempts to reclaim him. "Stop. Stop now, I beg you." 

The words were like a splash of cold water down Glorfindel's back. He realised his actions then, how badly he had let his ardour go. Suddenly afraid, he began to say, "Erestor, forgive me--"

"If a penalty is all this is," Erestor cut in, "then I beg you let us stop now. This need not hurt more than it already does." At Glorfindel's confused frown, the counsellor looked down, his fingers clutching tightly at the Glorfindel's tunic. "I confess... that I have hoped for things to be more between us--for longer than I can admit at this moment, although perhaps I can say that when they were picking out things for me this evening, it is not only Arwen I hoped to please." His laugh, though sweet still in Glorfindel's ears, sounded nervous and a little self-deprecating. "I wondered how much of my hopes are but wishful thinking, for of course you are you, and the Valar know how many equally wish for your attention."

"What... what are you talking about?" Glorfindel asked, confused but also suddenly excited and nervous and afraid, all in equal parts. Gently he wrapped his fingers around Erestor's wrists, his fingertips tingling in the bit of joy that managed to wriggle in amidst his nerves, for he was finally able to gather those precious hands to his chest and press them there. 

"I had wanted no one," he continued to say, "and noticed no other, until the day you opened your doors to me and told me I could have peace I did not even know I longed to have. And you have been that to me, for a long time now, Erestor." Things were sinking in for him then it seemed, for he felt a smile growing on his lips, threatening to become wide and giddy before Glorfindel caught it and reined it. Still, it might have escaped him a little, making him smile brightly at Erestor. "And for the record, you look stunning, so much so that I thought I was about to go mad this evening had Arwen not kicked me out for being so awfully distracted at her party."

Erestor finally laughed, beautifully if still a bit nervously, but he also leaned in again, this time to take Glorfindel back in a searing kiss. Glorfindel felt it to the roots of his hair, and he was about to wrap his arms around Erestor again and pull him closer when the counsellor pulled away. 

"Come with me," he said with some urgency, pulling Glorfindel to stand. "If you are available now for the rest of the evening, then... there is another room I have hoped you would also frequent for quite some time."

Glorfindel was only too quick to smile and agree, and he let Erestor take him by the hand, to be led out of that beloved office and out into the hallways. 

They walked for some time, quietly and hand in hand--when Erestor had entwined their fingers together, Glorfindel might have swooned a little--but midway, Erestor suddenly stopped. He then turned to Glorfindel, and just stared at him for a long time. 

"What?" Glorfindel asked, suddenly nervous. Surely he did not change his mind?

"I just remembered something."

That was all the warning he gave before he was entering Glorfindel's space again. The kiss he bestowed Glorfindel this time was tender and light, lips parting just enough to capture lips in the sweetest of kisses. 

The sound that kiss made when Erestor pulled away was one Glorfindel would remember for a long time. Dazed, he looked down at the other, and felt himself melting at the warm smile he saw on that handsome face. "What was that for?" he asked, voice rough with shock. 

"I suddenly remembered that I, too, have lost at a wager with a certain young lady, although this one was made a very long time ago--something about chances and the way I looked at you. Many times she told me to invite you if I wanted to get to know you. I did not think it was a serious thing, given that she was but a little child." The expression on Erestor's face was a tad embarrassed, but his smile was sweet even as he shrugged to say, "But then, they do say that children see a lot of things. Please remind me to thank Arwen in the morning."

**Author's Note:**

> It seems like matchmaker!Arwen has become my accidental thing. ♥ Also, if this story has a slightly different Erestor than my usual (who is harsher these days when I write him, lol), again, this story was written almost two years ago. I still can't get over the fact that I forgot about this. T____T
> 
> Find me in [tumblr ](http://glorfindel-of-imladris.tumblr.com)!


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